KATHARINA von Braunschweig

• Catherine of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the only daughter and second child of the Duke Henry I of Brunswick-Lüneburg († 1416) from his first marriage to Sophie († June 1400), daughter of Duke Wartislaw VI of Pomerania.
• As a 17-year-old she married on 8 May 1402 Margrave Frederick IV "the Warlike" of Meissen (1370–1428), who in 1425 became the first Elector of Saxony, as Frederick I. The elector lost a large part of his army in the Hussite Wars in a battle in 1425 at Most. During Frederick's absence, Electress Catherine organised another army of 20,000 men, which rushed to Frederick's aid, but was defeated devastatingly in the Battle of Aussig in 1426.

Project MedLands, HERZOGEN von BRAUNSCHWEIG und LÜNEBURG in WOLFENBÜTTEL und CALENBERG 1409-1503

HEINRICH von Braunschweig, son of BERNHARD I Herzog von Braunschweig und Lüneburg & his wife Margareta von Sachsen-Wittenberg (-Ülzen 14 Oct 1416, bur Braunschweig). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Hinrick” (named fourth) as one of the four sons of “Hertoghe Magnus, Hertoghen Magnus sone ein Hertoghe to Brunswick unde to Lunenborch, ein Here to Landesbarge” and his wife[375]. Sub deacon at Hildesheim 1376. Co-regent in Lüneburg 1388. He succeeded in 1409 as HEINRICH II Herzog von Braunschweig-Lüneburg. married firstly (contract 31 Jul 1386, 11 Nov 1388) SOPHIE von Pommern, daughter of WARTISLAW VI Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast & his wife Anna von Mecklenburg (-28 Jun 1406). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum records that “Hertoghe Hinrick, Hertoghe Magnus sone to Brunswick unde Lunenborch” married “Soffyam des Hertoghen dochter van Bard unde Wolgast”[376]. married secondly (Kassel 30 Jan 1409) MARGARETA von Hessen, daughter of HERMANN II "der Gelehrte" Landgraf Herr von Hessen & his second wife Margareta von Nürnberg (Marburg 1389-Rotenburg an der Fulda 1446). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum records that “Hertoghe Hinrick, Hertoghe Magnus sone to Brunswick unde Lunenborch” married “Margretam des Lantgreven dochter to Hessen, Hertoghen Otten Forstynne suster over Wolt to Gotting” after his first wife died[377].

Heinrich II & his first wife Sophie von Pommern had two children:

• 1. KATHARINA von Braunschweig (-Grimma 28 Dec 1442, bur Meissen Cathedral). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Katherina”, who married “Marggreven Frederiken to Myssen”, as the daughter of “Hertoghe Hinrick, Hertoghe Magnus sone to Brunswick unde Lunenborch” and his first wife[378]. "Hinric hertoge to Brunswic und to Luneborgh" intended to betrothe "Katherinen unse…dochter…wen se erst zwelff jar olt is" to "Adoulff van dem Berge greuen to Ravensberge" by charter dated 28 Oct 1397[379]. Betrothed (contract 28 Oct 1397) to ADOLF von Berg, son of WILHELM VII Duke of Jülich and Berg & his wife Anna Pfalzgräfin bei Rhein (-Köln 14 Jul 1437, bur Köln St Martin). He succeeded in 1408 as Graf von Berg und Ravensberg. He succeeded in 1423 as ADOLF Duke of Jülich. married (8 Feb 1402) FRIEDRICH IV "der Streitbare" Markgraf von Meissen, son of FRIEDRICH III "der Strenge" joint Markgraf von Meissen & his wife Katharina von Henneberg (11 Apr 1370-Altenburg 4 Jan 1428, bur Meissen Cathedral). He was installed in 1423 by the Emperor as FRIEDRICH I Herzog von Sachsen, Elector of Saxony.
• 2. WILHELM von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1392-Braunschweig 25 Jul 1482, bur Braunschweig Cathedral). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Wilhelm” as the son of “Hertoghe Hinrick, Hertoghe Magnus sone to Brunswick unde Lunenborch” and his first wife[380]. He succeeded his father in 1416 as WILHELM I "der Ältere" Herzog von Braunschweig und Lüneburg in Wolfenbüttel. The Notæ Sancti Blasii record the death "1482 die Iacobi" of "princeps dominus Wilhelmus in Brunswik et Lunenburg dux"[381]. married firstly (Berlin 30 May 1423) CÄCILIE von Brandenburg, daughter of FRIEDRICH I Elector of Brandenburg & his wife Elisabeth von Bayern-Landshut (-4 Jan 1449, bur Braunschweig Cathedral). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Cecilia”, who married “Hertoghen Wilhelm to Brunswick unde Lunenborch”, second of the five daughters of “Marggreve Frederick to Brandenborch unde Borggreve to Nurenbarge” and his wife[382]. The Notæ Sancti Blasii name "Cecilia de Brandenburg" as wife of "princeps dominus Wilhelmus in Brunswik et Lunenburg dux"[383]. married secondly (1466) as her second husband, MECHTILD von Holstein-Schauenburg, widow of BERNHARD II Herzog von Braunschweig in Lüneburg, daughter of OTTO II Graf von Holstein-Schauenburg & his wife Elisabeth von Honstein (-Neustadt am Rübenberge 22 Jul 1468, bur Braunschweig Cathedral). The Notæ Sancti Blasii name "Mechildis de Holstein et Schounborg" as second wife of "princeps dominus Wilhelmus in Brunswik et Lunenburg dux"[384]. Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum records that “de olde Hertoghe Wilhelm, Hertoghen Hinrikes sone to Brunswick unde to Lunenborch” married secondly “Metildam, eynes Greven dochter to Schomborch” who died in childbirth[385]. Mistress (1): CÄCILIA, daughter of ---.

Wilhelm I & his first wife Cacilie von Brandenburg had two children:

• a) WILHELM von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (-7 Jul 1503, bur Münden St Blasius). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Wilhelm unde Frederick” as the two sons of “de olde Hertoghe Wilhelm, Hertoghen Hinrikes sone to Brunswick unde to Lunenborch” and his wife “Ceciliam...to Brandenborch”[386]. He succeeded his father in 1482 as WILHELM II "der Jungere" Herzog von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel.
  
• b) FRIEDRICH von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (-Münden 6 Mar 1495, bur Münden St Blasius). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Wilhelm unde Frederick” as the two sons of “de olde Hertoghe Wilhelm, Hertoghen Hinrikes sone to Brunswick unde to Lunenborch” and his wife “Ceciliam...to Brandenborch”[387]. He succeeded in 1482 as FRIEDRICH II Herzog von Braunschweig-Calenberg. married firstly (Munich Feb 1463, divorced 1467) as her second husband, ANNA von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen, widow of ALBRECHT III "der Fromme" Duke of Bavaria-Munich, daughter of ERICH Herzog von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen & his wife Elisabeth von Braunschweig-Göttingen (1415-Nannhofen 9 Oct 1474, bur Andechs). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Anna” fifth of the five daughters of “Hertoghe Ereke, Hertoghen Albrechtes sone to Brunswick, ein Here to Embeke” and his wife, who married “Hertoghen Albrecht to Beyeren” and secondly “Hertoghen Frederick, des olden Hertoghen Wilhelmes sone to Brunswick unde Lunenborch”[388]. married secondly (16 Nov 1483) MARGARETA von Rietberg, daughter of KONRAD [V] Graf von Rietberg & his wife --- (-[4 Jan 1533/6 Jun 1535]). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum records that “Hertoghe Frederick, Hertoghe Wilhelmes sone to Brunswick unde to Lunenborch” married secondly “Margaretam des Greven dochter van Retbarge”[389].
  

Wilhelm I & his second wife MECHTILD von Holstein-Schauenburg had one child:

• c) OTTO von Braunschweig (Neustadt am Rübenberge [20 Jul 1468]-[22 Jul] 1471, bur Kloster Obernkirchen). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum records that “de olde Hertoghe Wilhelm, Hertoghen Hinrikes sone to Brunswick unde to Lunenborch” married secondly “Metildam, eynes Greven dochter to Schomborch” who died in childbirth giving birth to their son “Otto” who died young[390].
  

Wilhelm I had one illegitimate child by Mistress (1): CÄCILIA Unknown

• d) SOPHIA . A nun in Marienau.
  

Heinrich II & his second wife MARGARETA von Hessen had one child:

• 3. HEINRICH von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1411-Wolfenbüttel 6/8 Dec 1473, bur Braunschweig Cathedral). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Hinrick” as the son of “Hertoghe Hinrick, Hertoghe Magnus sone to Brunswick unde Lunenborch” and his second wife[391]. married (12 Feb 1436) HELENE von Kleve, daughter of ADOLF Duke of Kleve & his second wife Marie de Bourgogne [Valois-Capet] (18 Aug 1423-3 Jul 1471, bur Braunschweig Cathedral). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum records in 1437 that “Hertoghe Hinrick to Brunswick unde Lunenborch, des Hertoghen Hinrikes sone” married “Helenam, des Hertoghen dochter van Cleve unde Marggreve to der Marcke”[392].

Heinrich & his wife Helene von Kleve had one child:

• a) MARGARETA (Wolfenbüttel Jul 1451-Mainberg 13 Feb 1509, bur Kloster Vesara). Botho’s Chronicon Brunsvicensium Picturatum names “Margareta”, who married “Greven Wilhelm to Hennenbarghe”, as the daughter of “Hertoghe Hinrick to Brunswick unde Lunenborch, des Hertoghen Hinrikes sone” and his wife[393]. married (Wolfenbüttel 5 Nov 1469) WILHELM [III] Graf von Henneberg-Schleusingen, son of --- (-Salurn 26 May 1480, bur Kloster Vesara).
  

The Fallen of the Battle of Aussig

Although there were some deaths in skirmishes in the days before the great battle, on Sunday, 16 June 1426, a large number of the Saxon and Thuringian aristocracy was wiped out. Many families lost all, or almost all of their sons in battle. This Project is primarily to list those known to have died. The were fighting the Hussites, who laid waste to Saxony and further afield, burning down all the churches, towns and killing inhabitants. The reason there are no church registers in Saxony before this period is that the Hussites burned them.

The crusade was called because the Pope believed that the Hussite armies would be easily defeated after the death of Jan Žižka. The overall commander of the Hussite forces at the battle was Sigismund Korybut, while Prokop the Great was independently in command of the Taborites. Boso of Vitzthum was the leader of the crusading army. The Hussites had 24,000 soldiers and at least 500 war wagons, while the crusaders had 70,000 men. The crusaders approached Aussig in three columns and were accompanied by 3,000 war wagons and 180 artillery pieces. The Hussites drew up their Wagenburg on one of the hills near the town.

A crusader cavalry assault on the wagon fortress began the battle. The knights could have been equipped with very large battle axes or hammers because one account of the battle has them hewing through the retaining chains on the wagons to breach through the fortress and get inside the Wagenburg. Then, the knights broke through a second defensive line that was made up of pavises.

This was the highest point of crusader morale in the whole battle. The Hussite cavalry inside the Wagenburg had left and attacked the knights trying to breach the wagon chains from the rear. The knights were then surrounded and fell under a huge barrage of artillery, crossbow, and handgun fire. The Hussites then charged in on the knights and showed no mercy. The actual battle was brief, and for that reason, it is possible that no more than 5,000 soldiers were lost on the crusader side. However, after the battle, many of the crusaders fled to local villages.

Most of the Meissen-Osterland and Thuringian generals and colour troopers, counts, barons and esquires fell. Amongst the estimated 500 aristocrats lost were •Heinrich II. von Hartenstein as the last Burgrave of Meißen, •Burggrave Oswald von Kirchberg, •Count Ernst I. von Hohnstein, •Count Friedrich XIV. von Beichlingen-Wiehe as margravial field-marshal with his same-named son from his first marriage:- •Friedrich XV. von Beichlingen, •Ernst von Gleichen, General of the Thuringian Foot Regiment, •Lieutenant-General Friedrich von Gleichen, Herr zu Tonna, •Count Johann II. von Barby, •Count Heinrich XXI. von Schwarzburg, •Heinrich VIII. von Gera, •Heinrich VII. Reuß von Plauen, •Count Friedrich zu Dohna, •Count Busso von Falkenstein (head of the Meißen army), •Protze I. Edler Herr von Querfurt, •Günter Ritter von Bünau, •Tham Pflug, •Busso Vitzthum von Apolda, leader of the Meißen army, •Jacob von Wangenheim, •Heinz/Heinrich von Erffa, •Christian/Kerstan von Seebach, •Dietrich von Witzleben, •Christian/Kerstan von Witzleben von der Elgersburg, •Caspar von Schönberg with his sons:- •Dietrich von Schleinitz, and •Heinrich von Schleinitz, •Johann von Schönfeld, •Friedrich XIII. von Schönburg, •Johann von Carlowitz and •members of the von Karras and von Köckeritz families.

Links:

• The Peerage
• Geneall
• Wikipedia